Terry and Clarence Low: Teach kids about web scams

Q: I've allowed my child to start using email and Facebook, but I'm worried about phishing and other scams. How can I protect her?

A: The most important things to be aware of are what your children are viewing and the importance of educating them about the scams and tricks, especially on Facebook where phishing is prevalent.

The most common scam on the social media site tricks people into thinking they're verifying the registration on the site when they're actually giving away personal data. It begins when a user clicks on what appears to be a link from a friend (be sure to acquaint yourself with your child's FB friends as well!).

The link then redirects to a fake page — which may look identical to a real page — where they're asked to log in and verify information that may include addresses, phone and Social Security numbers and credit card information. Although it's unlikely your child has her own credit card just yet, she may be so fooled by the request that she grabs one of yours.

Because you can't be looking over their shoulder all the time, sit down with your children and teach them about these scams. Let them know it's never all right to give out any personal information. And be sure they know that, if they're ever unsure whether a request on Facebook — or a link sent via email — is real or fake, they should talk to you first before clicking on the link or responding. A good rule of thumb: "If it looks strange (like Grandma sending a rap video) don't click it."

If you are unsure whether a link or page is legitimate, check the address itself. Most legitimate businesses handling sensitive information use the secure Internet protocol "https" instead of the regular "http." Also make sure letters in the URL aren't missing words or that words aren't misspelled on purpose. That's a sure giveaway.

Q: Can you recommend a service that will help me wade through my mountain of emails?

A: It's been estimated that it takes the average worker more than two hours each day to sift through their email (it's also the second most time consuming activity for the U.S. workforce), so you're not alone in wanting a little relief. Fortunately there are some great programs out there to make this chore more manageable.

Unroll.me declutters inboxes by combining all those annoying spam-type messages into one email, making it easy to delete all of them at once. It also has a convenient "unsubscribe" button for those annoying eblasts. But it's compatible with Google and Yahoo mail only.

FanMix is a tool for heavy social media users and professionals and collects all of your online accounts into a Gmail-themed inbox as a one-stop view for everything from Twitter to LinkedIn. SaneBox structures your emails by filtering out the non-essential ones based on your settings. It costs a couple of bucks a month, but there's nothing to download and it's widely compatible with just about any email platform as well as mobile devices such as iPhones and Androids.

The Email Game was listed on Time magazine's list of 50 greatest websites of 2012. Compatible with Gmail and Google apps, it works by turning the process of going through your messages into a game. You get points based on how fast you can clear your inbox. Boxer works in the same way, allowing users to earn points by archiving and replying to emails, but it's still in the developmental stage.

And lastly, Mailbox by Orchestra Inc. has some great features, such as allowing you to quickly swipe your messages to your archive or trash and "snooze" emails until later with a simple tap of a button.

Terry and Clarence Low are co-founders of Byte Technology, a web design firm based in Monterey, Denver and Minneapolis. Their personal technology column appears on alternating Saturdays. Read more news on their blog at www.byte-technology.com/ blog. Send questions to tlow@byte-technology.com, or write to Bits 'N' Bytes, 400 Camino El Estero, Monterey 93940.